AUSTIN, TX- For most of our SXSW artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! 😉 We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts: (1) Why our contributor wanted to see this act and (2) what our contributor thought of the performance”. Easy peasy. If you want to learn more about the act, make sure you click through to their social media links to get in the know. You won’t be disappointed!

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Why I Wanted To See Pussy Riot: There are a handful of bands that wear their political ideology proudly on their sleeves. One of those bands is Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist performance art collective. They embody a Riot Grrrl ethos and are always willing to stand up to oppressors around the world.

In these tense political times, I thought it was as good a time as any to see them perform for the first time.

What I Thought Of Pussy Riot’s Performance: Right off the bat, to the (most likely) chagrin of the SXSW sponsors of their showcase, prior to their performance, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova draped a big flag over the sponsor’s banner that had in bold print “Pussy is the new dick” emblazoned thereon.

Nadezhda made it a point to explain that this action was important because they weren’t there for the sponsors. They were there for the message and their art, and they wanted to make that clear especially because the venue couldn’t accommodate the visual aesthetics of their performance (which was supposed to have immersive, multimedia elements).

Almost immediately following the brief statement, Nadezhda introduced Chelsea Manning to the stage (the Wikileaks whistleblower of military documents). Manning gave the audience an impassioned statement on her position of the prison industrial complex and the international treatment of political prisoners. It was a calm (despite some shouts from politically opposing views from the audience) and well thought out statement, almost as if she was running for office (which, it turns out, would be the case with her recent bid for a Senate seat).

As soon as Chelsea left the stage, Pussy Riot started their performance in the unlit venue (opting not to have have stage lights on them if their own lighting wasn’t going to be used), and they kicked, danced, rapped and yelled through with obviously inspired energy.

Derrick K. Lee is a music attorney, blogger, concert photographer and co-owner of Blurred Culture. He goes to a lot of shows and sometimes he writes good. Music is his boo.
All photos are edited with iPhoto. Lightroom edits can be made upon request. For prints and/or approvals for special uses of any photo taken by Derrick, please contact him directly.